No Pixel Left Behind

I’ve been running iOS7 for a few weeks now as I refresh the look of my apps.  Habits is kind of getting there, but I’m trying to internalize the design lessons of iOS7.  Basically, my mantra is, “no pixel left behind”, which means

  1. If I can change the color of a pixel with no loss of semantic meaning, make it the background color
  2. If I can add meaning with space and grouping, do it, and remove more pixels
  3. If I can add meaning with color, do it
  4. It’s ok to have “brand” colors, but use them only when you need contrast

Here are some other lessons

  1. Prefer to reveal more UI rather than navigate
  2. Make gestures feel like they are moving a physical object (e.g. use pan instead of swipe)
  3. Prefer fewer words, but use enough to not be distracting

Habits 2.02 should be ready in a week with these lessons applied.